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Nearly the entire surface of the Earth has been
photographed and documented. Our world has grown too small for us. But
has everything really been researched, surveyed and settled, designed
and built upon as we see it? When we turn our gaze inward and view the
Earth’s interior, we discover new and far greater dimensions. Max
Wisshak’s flashbulbs illuminate realms that otherwise dwell in eternal
darkness, where he photographs a hidden world full of fairytale beauty.
With his artistic sensitivity for contrast and pictorial composition,
he has succeeded in creating pictures which capture the magic that awaits
travelers who dare to descend into the depths of the Earth, to enter an
inner world and delve into the roots of our essential being. In the midst
of this wondrous world stands the solitary human being, small, with no
one but himself to rely upon, and connected to life on the surface like
a spider hanging from a gossamer thread.
This photobook by the dedicated scientist, speleologist
and photographer Max Wisshak is not only a highlight for speleologists
and geologists, but also and above all for people who are interested in
nature and who haven’t yet forgotten how to gaze in awe at the beauty
of our world.
- Preface by Prof. Dr. Ernst Waldemar Bauer (book author, biologist, television
publicist and documentary filmmaker)
- Introductory text “Getting to the Bottom of Caves” by Max
Wisshak (geologist, paleontologist and photographer)
- Foreword “A Journey into the Interior” by Angela Lang (speleologist
and photographer)
- Foreword “Light in the Darkness” by Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns
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Book Reviews:
International Journal of Speleology (Italy)
”Turning the pages has made me explore some intimate places hidden
in the Earth’s crust, in France, Germany, Austria, Romania, the Guadaloupe
Mountains in America and Waikato in New Zealand, all of this comfortably
sitting in my couch in the living room. One hundred and twenty four full-page
fantastic pictures of the many caves visited by Max Wisshak are reproduced
at the end of the book with a short description. Many pictures have nice
geological explanations since the photographer is also a geologist. And
Max is also young enough to continue surprising us with his breathtaking
cave pictures from places where many of us would never be able to go to.
A remarkable piece of art, skilfully created by the photographer and put
into value by this editor. This book would be a desirable present under
the Christmas tree, but if one would not want to gamble on this eventuality
he would do good in ordering the book online. It is certainly worth its
money.” Jo De Waele
Descent (England)
”Once in a while a book of cave photos comes along that has no pretence
of being anything other than that: excellent photographs displayed to
best advantage. Inside Mother Earth is a true coffee-
table book, in other words, and an extremely good one at that... In general,
the presentation might best be described as ‘moody’ – there
are plenty of blacks within the images and, while some photos bleed off
the page edges, others are set into double-page spreads so that only a
small portion glows with light. This is, it has to be said, a great design
approach and Inside Mother Earth benefits a great deal. Equally, it is
not without danger: rich blacks require plenty of ink and a paper quality
that will not show through or suffer, and thankfully the publisher has
stepped up to the mark and hit the
mark.” Chris Howe
Spéléo Magazine
(France)
”C’est tout simplement un magnifique ouvrage photographique
réalisé par un auteur à la fois scientifique, spéléologque
et photographe. En
admirant les clichés au fil des pages, je retrouve ces sensations
de beauté et de nouveauté que je n’avais plus ressenti
depuis la parution en 1991 du livre consacré à ”Lechuguilla,
la plus belle caverne du monde” par les suisses de Speleo Projects...
Comme moi, vous serez à coup sûr séduit par cet ouvrage
que je vous conseille sans retenue d’acquérir et d’offrir...”
Par Serge Caillault.
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Lettenweg
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